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Petaling Jaya, Malaysia (July 26): Close to 200 people turned up to pay their respects at the funeral of the award-winning Malaysian film-maker Yasmin Ahmad (left), who died of a brain aneurism at 11.25pm last Saturday (July 25), aged 51.

The multiracial crowd at the funeral this morning was a testament to Yasmin's ability to reach across ethnic and cultural boundaries in her films and the television commercials she created.

The prayers took place at about 10am at Masjid Abu Bakar As Siddiq at Section 19/7A, Subang Jaya before her body was taken to the Muslim burial ground at USJ22.

Yasmin, who collapsed after suffering a stroke and undergoing surgery for cerebral haemorrhage last Thursday (July 23), had been a creative force in Malaysia's advertising and film industry, having won awards and accolades both locally and internationally.

Her interracial love story Sepet (2004) was accorded the Best Film Award and the Best Original Screenplay Award at the Malaysian Film Festival 2005. It also bagged the Asian Film Award at the Tokyo International Film Festival 2005, and the Grand Prix Award at the Creteil International Women's Film Festival in the same year.

Her other films included Gubra (2006), Mukhsin (2006), Muallaf (2008) and Talentime (2009).

Born in Muar, Johor, Yasmin began her career as a copywriter with Ogilvy & Mather before joining Leo Burnnett, where she rose to become its creative executive director.

Award-winning actress Azean Irdawaty, who worked with Yasmin on Talentime, told theSun she was in Singapore when she heard about the film-maker's death. She rushed back just in time for the funeral. "I am glad that I managed to see and kiss Yasmin for the last time," said Azean, who, in her rush to make it to the mosque, ended up leaving her luggage at the airport.

Fellow director Othman Hafsham was effusive in his praise for Yasmin. At the funeral, he said: "She is a director who speaks her mind and her films reflect this. It's only in this country that her movies are considered controversial. But in international film festivals, they all accept her movies. Indeed she has became a role model for many aspiring directors out there."

So popular was she that Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong requested the country's Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports to engage her to direct two of its pro-family advertisements, with the most recent one depicting an Indian widow paying a moving tribute to her Chinese husband at his funeral (see above videos).

Yasmin herself is no stranger to interracial marriages. She was married twice, first to an Indian and subsequently to a Chinese, Mr Abdullah Tan Yew Leong.

Singapore film director Wee Li Lin, who had sought Yasmin's opinions on her debut film, Gone Shopping, two years ago, said: "Yasmin was incredibly friendly and funny. She enveloped everyone in her maternal glow."

I was surprised it is a Singaporean made this thread much sooner than any Malaysian. Actually most Malaysians hate her, not to mention how many controversies she made in her movies. Malaysian reaction is much like "She died and that's good. Let's forget about it.". What I like about her and Most Malaysian didn't is she never made horror and "biker gang" movies.

What if Mawi or Siti Nurhaliza died instead and I'm sure my country will have another Micheal Jackson style of funeral.